Puzzle 1
Starter clue: X = E
JBXMUOAXPFDOXDMUHTYNEXGMJNJXDPMNPJNHDGABJXP,QGJKBXPXUMBXKBNFDOXSFUJXUOGMDZGPXYNPOUOAVNT?
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
- Q
- R
- S
- T
- U
- V
- W
- X
- Y
- Z
Humor Cryptograms Set 4
5 cryptograms to solve with a pencil. Each letter of the quote has been swapped for another letter, and the same swap holds all the way through.
20 pt ciphertext — the size a newspaper puzzle page never gives you. 26 pt ciphertext with wide letter spacing and room to write. Both sizes print on US Letter with the answer key on its own page.
Printing this web page instead? Press Ctrl+P (⌘+P on a Mac). The navigation and buttons drop away, and the answer key prints on its own page — open it below first if you want it included.
The puzzles
Puzzle 2
Starter clue: P = E
PMPLCAOVXROEWKXVHFKAOPAVZ.AOPHPZLPAHJELZPJQOEWJLVAHPGQVHXJAYJCUEAHJLLJI.AOPLPVHXJOEWJLVXOPKMPX.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
- Q
- R
- S
- T
- U
- V
- W
- X
- Y
- Z
Puzzle 3
Starter clue: F = E
ZVYGXKOLFKNXCUWMUPYRBFWENXCRWYFFM,CENCIUUYOOEUGYALFOUAFFT-WUXCFZTYNCRHF;NXARARAYNGKEONXORXCFMZROORUXNXEUGMLVEROARNY.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
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- X
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Puzzle 4
Starter clue: C = E
JEFSZIFKCOPKLFZRPKFN,FSCZMCKJSCQTEAOTPGZKEFNZHZIKRCZRQCXCCVPOKCPFCKZRRZKFIAEFNHZKSITPAEFNFZRKZXRCKPALHEALSPRREACXX.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
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- U
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- X
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Puzzle 5
Starter clue: X = E
DBQXKRTBWAURP,RKTXMPSJXHHXSVXJHXMCURSHXXKRIBDVXJHRKTXMPSJXHHXS,DBHKDURSHWKMXURSMBBYAJXDDP,URSHUPRBDVKRI,FUHXRBOIVCBJDVXVUAAKRXHHBCDVXAJXHXRDVBOJ.
Decoder — write your answer under each cipher letter:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
- Q
- R
- S
- T
- U
- V
- W
- X
- Y
- Z
Solver's cheat sheet
- Most common letters
- E T A O I N S H R D L U
- Most common 1-letter words
- A I
- Most common 2-letter words
- OF TO IN IT IS BE AS AT SO WE HE BY OR ON DO IF ME MY UP AN GO NO US AM
- Most common 3-letter words
- THE AND FOR ARE BUT NOT YOU ALL ANY CAN HER WAS ONE OUR OUT DAY GET HAS HIM HIS HOW MAN NEW NOW OLD SEE TWO WAY WHO BOY DID ITS LET PUT SAY SHE TOO USE
- Common double letters
- LL EE SS OO TT FF RR NN PP CC
- Common word endings
- -ING -ION -ENT -TION -LY -ED -ER -EST
- After an apostrophe
- T (don't) S (it's) RE (we're) VE (I've) LL (we'll) D (I'd)
Want this on its own sheet? Print the letter frequency chart.
Show the answer key (5 solutions)
- “The singer can easily move us to tears or to laughter, but where is he who can excite in us a pure morning joy?”— Henry David Thoreau, 1862, WalkingCipher key: A=G B=H C=Z D=A E=V F=C G=U H=L I=Q J=T K=W L=K M=S N=O O=N P=R Q=B R=D S=X T=Y U=I V=J W=F X=E Y=M Z=P
- “Everything human is pathetic. The secret source of Humor itself is not joy but sorrow. There is no humor in heaven.”— Mark Twain, 1897, Following the EquatorCipher key: A=T B=D C=Y D=Z E=U F=P G=L H=S I=W J=O K=A L=R M=V N=K O=H P=E Q=F R=G S=X T=Q U=B V=I W=M X=N Y=J Z=C
- “My lungs began to crow like chanticleer, That fools should be so deep-contemplative; And I did laugh sans intermission an hour by his dial.”— William Shakespeare, 1600, As You Like It, Act II. Sc. 7 (in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed., 1891)Cipher key: A=D B=K C=T D=Z E=H F=E G=U H=V I=F J=Q K=G L=B M=R N=A O=S P=W Q=J R=I S=X T=P U=O V=Y W=C X=N Y=L Z=M
- “Without regard to party, the overwhelming majority of our people seek a greater opportunity for humanity to prosper and find happiness.”— Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1934, State of the Union AddressCipher key: A=N B=Q C=E D=Z E=I F=T G=J H=F I=U J=W K=R L=D M=V N=Y O=G P=A Q=L R=P S=H T=M U=X V=K W=B X=S Y=C Z=O
- “To be in company, nicely dressed herself and seeing others nicely dressed, to sit and smile and look pretty, and say nothing, was enough for the happiness of the present hour.”— Jane Austen, 1815, EmmaCipher key: A=P B=O C=F D=T E=V F=W G=Q H=S I=G J=R K=I L=J M=L N=Z O=U P=Y Q=B R=N S=D T=C U=A V=H W=M X=E Y=K Z=X